NOAA's polar-orbiting environmental satellites: Two primary birds for a.m. and p.m. readings, with four standbys, produce Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder radiometer data about land, ocean and atmosphere.

Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program: Four DMSP birds produce about 8.5G per day of temperature, water vapor and other weather-related data important to military operations.

Other data feeds from NASA's Earth Observing System program, National Weather Service's Next-generation Radar and MetOp, the European Meteorological Operational Satellite

Future feeds from next-generation satellites that will converge POES with DMSP:NOAA, NASA and DOD will collaborate on national polar-orbiting environmental satellite system satellites to be launched four or five years from now. NPOESS Preparatory Project and MetOp tests are scheduled for this year. 'Susan M. Menke